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KOSSLYN CHAPTER 2 The Biology of Mind and Behavior: The Brain in Action
Events at the level of the brain can influence many aspects of behavior, in ways not immediately
apparent.
3 types of neurons:
Sensory neurons neurons that respond to signals from sensory organs and transmit those
signals to the brain and spinal cord
Motor neurons neurons that send signals to muscles in order to control movement (and also
to bodily organs, such as glands)
Interneurons neurons that are connected to other neurons, not to sense organs or muscles
A large number of neurons work together to accomplish any particular task. Neurons are organized
into brain circuits sets of neurons that work together to receive input, operate on it in some
way, and produce specific output.
Cell body central part of a neuron (or other cell), which contains the nucleus; controls the cells
metabolic activities and integrates inputs
Cell membrane the skin that surrounds the cell
Axon the sending end of the neuron; the long cable-like structure extending form the cell body;
conducts the nerve impulse away from the cell body
Axons can be branched, allows neurons to send a message to more than one place at a time
Each neuron only has 1 axon
Terminal button structure at the end of the branch of an axon that can release chemicals into the
space between neurons when their neuron has been triggered
Dendrite the treelike art of a neuron that receives messages from the axons of other neurons or from
the environment
Neurons are either at rest or they are sending signals outputs to other neurons.
When at rest, they maintain a negative charge within them; this negative charge is the
Resting potential arises because of how ions are distributed inside and outside the cell.
During rest, more positively charged ions (consisting mostly of sodium ions) are outside the
neuron than are inside it, and more negatively charged ions are inside the neuron than are in
the surrounding fluid.
A neuron fires when the dendrites (and in some cases, the cell body) receive appropriate inputs
from other neurons. When this occurs, very small pores (channels) open in the membrane that covers
the axon. When these channels open, a complex exchange of ions occurs, with some ions flowing into
the cell from the surrounding fluid and some ions flowing from inside the cell to the surrounding
fluid.
1. Na+ channels open after the neuron is stimulated, and Na+ ions rush into the cell; the inside
of the cell then becomes positively charged.
2. The Na+ channels close, K+ channels briefly open, and K+ ions go outside the cell. The K+
ions are pushed out because of the addition of the positively charged Na+ ions.
3. Na+ pumps actively push Na+ ions back outside, and K+ ions are drawn inside until the
inside and outside concentrations are returned to their original levels.
4. When the ion exchanges reach the end of the axon, they cause chemicals to be released from
the terminal buttons.
Action potential the shifting change in charge that moves down the axon (i.e.: steps 1 4)
All-or-none law states that if the neuron is sufficiently stimulated, it fires, sending the action
potential all the way down the axon and releasing chemicals from the terminal buttons; either
the action potential occurs or it doesnt
Most axons are covered in myelin fatty substance that helps impulses efficiently travel down the
axon
Multiple sclerosis (MS) myelin deteriorates, so action potentials stumble as they move
down the axon
Each neuron has receptors specialized site on a dendrite or cell body where a neurotransmitter
molecule attaches itself, like a lock that is opened by one key, a receptor receives only one type
of neurotransmitter.
Reuptake process by which surplus neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft is reabsorbed back into
the sending neuron so that the neuron can effectively fire again
Neurotransmitters are used widely throughout the brain, so their disruption would create more
widespread difficulties
Corpus callosum large bundle of axons that connects the 2 halves of the brain
Cerebral cortex the convoluted pinkish-gray outer layer of the brain where more mental processes
arise; 2 mm thick; contains the cell bodies of neurons; aka gray matter
Sulci creases in the cerebral cortex
Gyri bulges between the sulci in the cerebral cortex
The cortex is crumpled up so that more of it can be stuffed into the skull
Subcortical structures parts of the brain located under the cerebral cortex; also contain gray matter
Phineas Gage metal bar through the front part of his head.
Previously, he had been responsible and organized; afterward, he led a disorderly life.
Couldnt stick to a decision; little self-control; profane language
Split-brain patient person whose corpus callosum has been severed for medical reasons, so that
neural signals no longer pas from one cerebral hemisphere to the other
Procedure often done to help patients with severe, otherwise untreatable epilepsy disease
that causes massive uncontrolled neural firing in parts of the brain, leading to bodily
convulsions
The left half of each eye sends signals to the left hemisphere; the right half of each eye sends signals to
the right hemisphere. Normally, this information quickly crosses over to the other hemisphere, so the
entire brain receives signals from both halves of each eye. However, when the corpus callosum is cut,
the signal stays in the hemisphere that initially receives the information.
Experiment: present pictures / words to only the left or right side of space
Gazzaniga & LeDoux (1978) presented a picture of a snow scene to the right hemisphere
(controlled left hand; spatial attention; processing nonverbal cues) and at the same time, a
picture of a chickens claw to the left hemisphere (controls right hand, speech, reasoning)
o The split-brain patient then had to select pictures that were related to these stimuli
Right hand (controlled by left hemisphere): selected chicken picture
Left hand (controlled by right hemisphere): selected shovel picture
Speech: said he saw the claw, picked chicken; made up a story to reason why
shovel was chosen
Hippocampus: Remember It
Looks like a seahorse
Plays a key role in allowing us to enter new information into the brains memory banks
H.M. bilateral removal of hippocampus to control epilepsy; could no longer learn new facts
o Memory for events that occurred a year or so before the operation seemed normal, but
he was stuck at that stage of his life.
o Was not particularly aware of deficit
Although the hippocampus itself does not permanently store memories, it triggers processes
that store new information elsewhere in the brain
Important hormones:
Testosterone
Estrogen
Cortisol
Pituitary gland master gland that regulates other glands, but is itself controlled by the brain,
primarily via connections from the hypothalamus
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) technique for assessing brain activity that relies on recording
magnetic waves produced by neural activity
Neural firings also produce magnetic fields that can be detected.
Good for recording very fast changes in neural firing
Neither EEG nor MEG is very sensitive to activity in subcortical brain structures
Single-cell recording technique in which tiny probes (microelectrodes) are placed in the brain and
used to record neural firing rates
The more frequently neurons fire, the more blood, oxygen, and nutrients they require. The amounts
of these substances in a particular part of the brain indicate how vigorously neurons in that region are
firing
Positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging technique that uses small amounts of a
radioactive substance to track blood flow or energy consumption in the brain (radioactive
substance is taken up into different brain areas in proportion to how vigorously the neurons in
each area are firing
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) type of MRI that detects the amount of oxygen being
brought to particular places in the brain, which indicates how active those neurons are
All neuroimaging techniques provide evidence for correlations between performing a task and
activation of a specific brain region. They do not establish that activated brain regions play a
causal role in producing the behavior. To make this connection, we need other techniques!
Our genes specify the range of what is possible, and the environment then operates to set up the brain
within this range.
turned on, they have specific effects on your body and brain.
Behavioral Genetics the field in which researchers attempt to determine the extent to which the
differences among peoples behaviors and psychological characteristics are due to their
different genes or to differences in their environments
Twin studies have shown that the amount of gray matter in the brain is more similar in identical
twins than in fraternal twins, which suggest that the amount of gray matter, is in part, under genetic
control. (ex: frontal lobes; temporal lobe involved in language comprehension)
Evolution via natural selection tends to mold the characteristics of a group of organisms to the
Important principles:
Environment
Variation
Random variation
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